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(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. A. BALDWIN MACHINE FOR PLANING AND DRESSING 'SLATS.

No. 458,323. Patented, Aug. 25, 1891,

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l MN I r I l i (No Model.)

J. A. BALD WIN. MACHINE FOR PLANING AND .DBESSING SLATS.- No. 458,323.

Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUDSON A. BALDlYIN, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGN OR TO THE BUR- LINGTON BLIND COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR PLANING AND DRESSING SLATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 458,323, dated August 25, 1891. Application filed November 10, 1890- Serial No. 370,916. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I embodiment of the invention which, for the Be it known that I, J UDSON A. BALDWIN,a sake of illustration, I have set forth. citizen of the United States, residing at Bura In said drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation lington, in the countyof Ohittenden and State of a planing-machine embodying my inven- 5 5 5 of Vermont, have invented certain new and tion. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. useful Improvements in Machine for Planing 3 is an end view of the lower portion of the and Dressing Slate, the; and Ido declare the machine, illustrating the reversing mechanfollowing to be afull, clear, and exact descripism. Fig. 4 is a plan view, on a larger scale, tion of the invention, such as will enable othillustrating the means for mounting and ad- 60 IO ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to justing the plane and plane-stock. Fig. 5 is make and use the same, reference being had a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 4, with the to the accompanying drawings, and to the letplane-stock plate turned to bring the slot for ters of reference marked thereon, which form the plane transverse to the direction of feed. a part of this specification. Referring to the drawings, A indicates a 6 5 r 5 It is the object of my invention to cheapen frame adapted to support the mechanism of and improve the dressing of lumber, and esa planer, and comprising a bed or platen A, pecially the planing of long and slender strips by which the. lumber or stock is supported or slats, first, by operating upon such strips acwhile it is being operated upon and on which cording to a method hereinafter more particuit is kept in proper position by guides at. The .70 2o larlysetforth,and,second, by providinga planlatter are rounded at their corners to faciliing-machine of novel construction especially tate the introduction of the stock and proadapted for carrying said method into effect .vided with lateral slots or recesses a, through and also capable of impartinga perfect finish which pass clamping-screws a engaging the to lumber in general, notwithstanding irreguplaten and adapted to permit the adjustment 75 2 5 larities in its grain. of and to secure the guides in an obvious In order to produce a proper finish it is es- 1 manner. sential that the planer-knife be adjusted to 13,13, B and B indicate four or any equivaa proper angle with reference to the line of lent number of feed-roll shafts mounted in feed and also with reference to the direction suitable bearings in or on the frame A and "80 0 of the grain of the stock to be operated upon. having driving-pulleys 5 around which is I therefore provide for adjusting the knife passed a belt 0, as best seen in Fig. 2. A angular-1y to any desired position, also for retightener for this belt is shown at b from versing the knife so as to adapt it to be set which the belt passes to a pulleyD on a counat the proper angle to plane upon the oppoter-shaftD'. Upon this lattershaft are mount- '8 3 5 site side and in the opposite direction the ed a central tight pulley d and two loose pulstock already planed upon one surface, proleys cl (1 one at each side of the pulley d. viding at the same time means for reversing Belts E and E, running or moving in oppothe direction of the feed. I am thus enabled site directions, pass around these pulleys and to obviate the necessity, after planing one are so engaged and controlled bya belt-shifter 0 4.0 side, of turning the stock end for endin order F, Fig. 3, that either belt may be caused to to properly finishthe opposite side. As such run on and drive the pulley d and shaft D turning of the stock consumes more time than while the other belt is held upon its loose pulthe planing of it and is, especially with long, ley, or both belts may be caused to run upon slender, and exceedingly-flexible stripsadiffithe loose pulleys (Z and (Z The manner in 5 cult and tedious operation,the advantage and which the belt 0 and shafts B B B 13 ar economy of my method are apparent. driven, reversed, or stopped by the above In order to make myinvention more clearly means will be evident. The feed-rolls are understood I have shown in the accompanymounted upon the latter shafts and are indiing drawings means for carrying the same cated at b b b 11 These rolls are provided 00 50 into practical effect, without thereby intendwith surfaces proper for firmly holding and ing to limit my invention to the particular feeding the stock, and their shafts are adjustable, according to the thickness of the latter, by any suitable means.

I would here remark that any well-known and suitable feed mechanism may be employed in carrying out my invention in place of that shown.

G is a planer-knife, adjustable angularly relative to the direction of feed and of the grain in the stock to be planed. Preferably, also, the knife is completely reversible, so as to be adapted for properly an d perfectly dressing stock fed from the opposite direction. This may be effected by removing the knife, with or without its clamp or holder, reversing it, and replacing it with its edge turned toward the opposite direction, or much more conveniently by mounting the knife and plane-stock so that it may be rotated and turned for the desired number of degrees around an axis concentric with which it is held by a suitable bearing, and this latter construction is that illustrated in the drawings.

Referring especially to Figs. and 5, His a plate constituting in whole or in part or adapted to receive a plane-stock for the knife G. the usual capacity for adjustment by any wellknown means. For instance, the plate H and knife G may constitute in effect an ordinary Bailey plane, (described in Patent No. 7 2,443 of December 24,1861) or an ordinary Bailey or other suitable form of hand-plane may be attached to the plate H, so as to be capable of reversal or greater or less angular adj ustment around an axis perpendicular to the platen A. A suitable bearing is formed for the plate I-Ias, for instance, by a circular aperturez' in a frame I, which latter is mounted upon the main frame A and supported at a proper distance above the platen to admit under it the guides at and the stock to be dressed. The plate H is freely movable vertically as Well as rotary in the bearing i, and when stock is not being passed through the machine rests upon the guides at. As the knife-edge projects slightly below the bottom of the plate H the guides to are correspondingly recessed at a so that they will not be encountered by the knife-edge during the adj ustment or reversal of the plate.

The platen A and plane-stock are constructed to yield away from each other to accommodate the varying thicknesses of the slat to be dressed. This may of course be effected by making either the platen or the plane-stock or both of these parts movable in directions toward and from the slat, and my invention includes either of these variations in construction.

In the machine illustrated the platen is rigid and the plane-stock movable in the bearing 1'. A suitable pressure device holds the plane stock with the requisite force against the slat. I have made this device readily detachable to facilitate the removal of the plane-stock and replacement of it with The latter may be mounted thereon with.

one having a sharper knife or otherwise more desirable for the work in hand. To this end I provide a hanger J, having two pivoted arms jj, which extend up through slots 1; in the frame I and engage by hooksj' with a rim or flange h, formed on the plate II. The lower ends of said arms incline slightly inward and are pivoted at 3' to the cross-bar j of the hanger. From the middle of the crossbar depends a rod 7' adapted to receive a weight K, consisting by preference of a plurality of separate parts for graduating by their addition or removal the pressure on the plate H.

L is a treadle-lever mounted to engage beneath and adapted to lift slightly the hanger J. \Vhen the operator by his foot causes this action of the treadle L, the arms j will be raised from the rim h and, by reason of their inclination, will fall outward in the slots 1', thus instantly leaving the plane-stock free to be removed. hen the arms j are thus released, they.are supported by the engagement of hooks f, formed upon the outer faces of their upper ends, with shoulders '6 formed at the outer ends of slots 6'. When it is desired to replace the plane-stock, it is simply necessary to insert it in the bearing 1;, raise the hanger J by means of the treadle, and then move inwardly the arms 7' into proper engagement with the rim h of the plane-stock plate. It is intended that the plate H shall be perfectly free to rock or move in any direction as may be required by contour of the surface being planed; and to this end the hooks j are arranged diametrically opposite each other, the upper edge of the rim h is rounded, and the under faces of the hooks are formed with knife-edges or rounded contours, thus avoiding any rigid confinement of the plate.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the edge of the knife G to the proper angle relative to the grain of the strip being planed, the plate H is provided with a handle 71/, by which the plate may be readily turned upon its axis for a complete or any desired part of a revolution. The inner end of said handle fits neatly between lugs 71 and engages a pivot bolt or pin h which passes through the lugs, while the outer part of the handle is-adapted to fit between a series of lugs or teeth "i formed on or secured to the frame I contiguous to the bearing 1'. When it is desired to change the angle of the knife, it is simply necessary to lift the outer end of the handle, turning it upon the pin 7L3, and move the plate H to the desired position. The handle is then dropped between two of the teeth i and the knife will be secured at the proper angle without any confinement of the plane-stock either as to movement toward and from the slat or as to the slight oscillation sometimes necessary to conform to its surface. As a complete reversalof the plate H for the purpose of plan ing stock fed from the opposite direction would carry the handle h to the side of the machine opposite from the operator, I provide for detaching the handle and inserting it between another pair of lugs 72, diametrically opposite from the first-mentioned pair or elsewhere conveniently situated upon the plate. For this purpose the inner end of the handle is provided with an upwardly-turned open book 7%, adapted to engage but which maybe readily released from either pin 71. and applied to the other. In order that the slats may enter readily beneath the plate H into whatever position it be turned, its lower edge is rounded or beveled, as indicated at h, for the entire circumference of the plate.

The method forming a part of my invention may be carried into efiect either by the machine hereinbefore described or by other suitable means. When it is desired to dress lumber by my method, the slats are arranged at one end of a planing-machine, the operator then examining the slats and turning them the right side up (according to their grain) for the initial direction of feed, passes them by the knife. When all of the slats have thus been dressed on one side, it would be necessary, according to the usual practice, in order to properly plane the other to turn the slats not only side for side but end for end, and then pass them through the machine again in the original direction; but by my improved methodI avoid the difficult and tedious operation of turning the long and pliable slats end for end and effect a great economy of time and labor, enabling a workman to turn out about double the number of smoothly and perfectly dressed slats. This is accomplished by reversing the position of the plane-knife after the first planing. The operator then repasses the slats, planed upon one side, as above described, by the reversed plane-knife in a direction opposite to that of the-first planing. For this second dressing the slats are left in the proper position by the first planing with those ends toward the machine which should be first introduced.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is- 1. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices, of aplane-stock and plane having a suitable bearing upon an axis substantially at right angles to the face of the stock and adjustable around its axis to suit difierent grains in the stock to be planed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices, of a plane-stock and plane having a suitable bearing upon an axis substantially at right angles to the face of the stock and adjustable around its axis to suit different grains in the stock to be planed,

and a platen or bed-plate, one of said latter devices having a yielding motion to accommodate varying thicknesses in the stock, substantially as set forth.

3. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices, of a plane-stock and plane, the said stock and the same plane being reversible with reference to the direction of feed for the purpose of planing in the opposite direction, and means for reversing the direction of the feeding devices, substantially as set forth.

4:. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices and a frame having a bearing, of a plate mounted and adj ustable angularly in said bearing in planes which are horizontal or substantially parallel with the face of the plate and adapted to carry a plane, substantially as set forth.

5. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices and aframe having a bearing, of a plate mounted loosely in said bearing and adjustable angularly in said bearing and adapted to carry a plane, a hanger engaging said plate, and a weight carried by the hanger, substantially as set forth. v

6. In a planing-machine, the combination, with suitable feeding devices and a frame having a bearing, of a plate mounted loosely insaid bearing and adjustable angularly in said bearing and adapted to carry a plane, a hanger detachably engaging said plate to permit the ready removal of the latter, and a weight carried by said hanger, substantially as set forth.

7. In a planing-machine, the combination,

with suitable feeding devices and aframe having a bearing, of a plate mounted loosely in said bearing and adjustable angularly in said bearing and adapted to carry a plane, a hanger engaging said plate, and a weight carried by the hanger and consisting of a plurality of separate parts for graduating the pressure on the plate, substantially as set forth.

8. In a planing-machine, the combination, with a suitable frame and feeding devices for the lumber, of a loosely-mounted angularlyadjustable plane stock, said stock being adapted to yield in all directions to accommodate itself to the face of the lumber, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JUDSON A. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

E. K. STURTEVANT, H. N. Low.

IIO 

